


What It Might Cost

by Kateera



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Heartbreaking Moments, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Intense cuteness, Kid Leonard Snart, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Pining, Protective Barry Allen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25903210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kateera/pseuds/Kateera
Summary: A demon summoning witch, a curiously helpful Captain Cold, and a well-timed spell leave Barry Allen figuring out how to take care of a traumatized child.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart
Comments: 43
Kudos: 239





	1. The Cost of Helping

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm playing fast and loose with the timelines because it's basically a free for all anyway. A few changes:  
> At the Vanishing Point when Sara came over to Len at the Occulus, instead of kissing him, she grabbed his cold gun and shot it at the failsafe, freezing the trigger down so they could all run to safety like smart people.  
> It still shook Len that he'd stood there, ready to sacrifice himself like a hero, so he leaves the Waverider.  
> Mick stays because he's had all this time being Chronos and it's changed him in fundamental ways (something that should have been addressed more IMO).  
> Len goes back to Central City but is a bit in the wind with what he wants to do.  
> None of this really matters to the story I've written, but I figured people might want to know a little of how this is off canon.  
> There may be things that don't line up, just go with it!  
> Beta'd by a couple of friends in the coldflash discord (much love!) [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

“You were supposed to be watching for any other demons!” Barry spun in place and tried to locate the other demon that had jumped through the summoning circle before he could dismantle it.

“Well excuse me for missing one!” Cisco shouted into his ear. “The energy reading wasn’t the same as the first one!”

“Where did it go?”

“Dude, we are discussing demons in Central City. I have a right to be a little freaked out right now.” Cisco did sound exceedingly freaked out, so Barry tried not to hold the loss of their little hell problem against him. 

This wasn’t how his night was supposed to go, but since his life had become an endless stream of weird, he decided demon-summoning witches could be added to the list of things he had to look out for now. 

_I miss when my biggest problem was keeping obscenely large diamonds away from The Rogues._

“I think they split up,” Cisco said into the communicator. “The Summoner’s disappeared as well.”

Barry groaned and searched the parking lot for any signs of where their current menace might be hiding. Fighting metahumans and regular criminals hadn’t prepared him for a woman flinging spells in his direction, and he wondered if he could call someone else to deal with the magical elements of his life. He certainly didn’t want the extra responsibility.

“Holy crap! I just got a hit on the cold gun!”

_This is not my night._

“I so do not have time to deal with this right now!” Barry gave up on the parking lot and sped off down the street.

“Don’t worry, it’s not far,” Cisco said with a bit of his normal cheerfulness. “Two blocks down the street you’re on and take a left.”

When Barry turned left at Cisco’s directions, he skidded to a stop and stared in confusion. The witch he’d been hunting was hiding behind an iced-over car and Leonard Snart was on the other side of the street behind a vine-covered pickup truck with his gun drawn.

“I don’t know who you are, but you picked the wrong neighborhood to mess with, Glinda!” Snart shouted as he repositioned his gun and peeked out from behind his hiding spot.

“You do not dictate matters of this world to me,” the witch called back, her voice echoing with the power of her magic.

“Bite me,” Snart snarled as he shot another stream of absolute zero energy in the witch’s direction.

Snapping out of his confusion, Barry sped over to Snart and crouched down beside him. “Hey.”

Snart whipped around and almost smashed Barry’s head against the pickup truck before he realized who it was.

“Friend of yours?”

“Oh yeah, we go way back.” Barry couldn’t figure out when Snart’s prickly personality had become something he enjoyed, but he wasn’t going to question it too much.

“Got a plan on how to put her out of our misery?” Leonard asked as the truck they were hiding behind rocked with the force of a spell and fire engulfed part of the vehicle.

“What are you even doing here?” Barry asked, ignoring the question since Snart knew he rarely made plans for these kinds of things.

“Minding my own fucking business,” Snart replied with a smirk.

“Uh-huh, right.” Barry sped out and back behind the truck, gauging where the witch was hiding. “Care to make a distraction so I can knock her out?”

“Hit her in the head, great plan.” Snart shook his head but waved Barry away. “I got this.”

“Never had a doubt.”

He caught the slight grin on Snart’s face as he sped to the opposite corner and couldn’t stop his own grin from blossoming. Having backup kind of rocked.

“Hey, Elvira! Is that the best you can do?!” Snart’s taunts were followed by short bursts of cold energy and Barry could see the witch snarl in rage.

With her attention on Snart, Barry raced behind her and landed a blow to the back of her head, sending her to the ground in a crumpled heap.

_Having backup was awesome._

With the spells no longer flying across the street, Barry watched Snart stand up from behind the smoking truck and walk over to the unconscious witch, his cold gun still aimed at her.

“Don’t worry, she’s down for the count,” Barry said, crossing his arms and rocking back on his heels. “Thanks for the assist.”

“I’ll send you the bill,” Snart said, holstering his gun and glaring at the woman on the ground. “Who is she?”

“No idea,” Barry said. “Hopefully we’ll get more information out of her at Star Labs.”

Reminded of Cisco still listening from the lab, Barry tapped his earpiece. “We got the witch, any word on the demon?”

Snart mouthed ‘demon’ to him and shook his head as Barry held up a finger to listen to Cisco.

“Demon is still on the loose but without her to direct his actions, it shouldn’t be too hard to scoop him up,” Cisco said in a rush. “Did Captain Cold just help you take down the bad guy?”

Barry grinned. “Yeah, sure did.”

“That is weird and also awesome,” Cisco replied. “I’ll keep tabs on any demonic activity while you bring The Summoner in.”

“Cisco said your help was both weird and awesome,” Barry told Snart as soon as he heard the click of the communicator turning off.

Giving him a small huff of amusement, Snart looked across the street at the burning truck and sighed. “My ride is toast.”

“Your puns are awful,” Barry shot back but since Snart had helped him out, it only seemed fair to offer some assistance.

Walking over to the burning truck, he spun his arms and put out the flames with the rush of speed force wind, turning around with a flourish. “There, one slightly crispy—Snart, look out!”

He sped towards the witch but the spell was already leaving her hands, aimed right at Snart’s back. Even as he hit her across the head again, Barry could see the reddish-orange energy spread out across Snart’s body.

“Damn it!”

A look of complete confusion crossed his face before Snart seemed to disappear into nothing, his coat and gun clattering to the ground.

“Leonard!”

The witch was once again unconscious but Barry didn’t think she’d tell him what spell she’d used anyway, so he rushed over to the pile of clothes. “What the hell happened?”

“Dude, are you alright?” Cisco’s voice in his ear flooded his body with relief. “Your heart rate just shot through the roof.”

“She got a spell off,” Barry said in a panic. “It hit Snart and he disappeared.”

The clothes moved and Barry jumped back in surprise as the hood of the parka fell back. Inside the oversized coat sat a young boy with dark black hair, bright blue eyes, and a look of complete confusion on his face.

Barry blinked. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head and looked back to find the boy trying to stand up under the weight of the heavy parka.

“Um, this night just got a whole lot weirder.”

“What?” Cisco asked. “What happened?”

Dragging his hand across his face, Barry crouched down next to the young boy and watched as he shrank back into the coat.

“What is happening?” Cisco asked in a voice loud enough to make Barry wince.

“I think she turned Snart into a kid.”

The silence on the other side of the communicator spoke to Barry’s own feelings on the matter. “I’m bringing them both in.”

The kid still looked confused and frightened but Barry didn’t have time to try and reassure him with the witch still a possible threat. In a rush of speed, he slung the witch over his shoulder, gathered up the kid, Snart, along with the bundle of clothes and one surprisingly heavy cold gun, and took off for Star Labs.

_This is so not how this night was supposed to go._


	2. The Cost of Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the lab, Barry and Team Flash deal with the fallout of his fight with the witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Caitlin to have her frost powers so I added them, even though I won't mention the how and why. It's a thing.   
> As always, my fabulous beta-readers were so helpful, thank you to [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> .  
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

The atmosphere at Star Labs was decidedly awkward as Barry secured the witch in one of their holding cells until she could be transferred to the metahuman wing of Iron Heights. He’d had to leave Caitlin and Cisco alone with Snart while he locked up the still-unconscious witch and changed into more comfortable clothes, but when he got back to the Cortex they were both still staring at the much younger Snart in shock.

“Caitlin, do we have any clothes for him to wear?” Barry asked, hoping to snap her back to reality. “We don’t exactly keep child sizes in the locker rooms.”

Caitlin shook her head. “We can put him in a t-shirt for now.”

“This is so weird,” Cisco said, staring at Snart who was still wrapped up in the dark blue parka and looking very freaked out.

Sighing at the lack of activity from his friends, Barry snapped his fingers in front of Cisco’s face. “He needs clothes, not an audience.”

He walked over to Snart and at the look of terror in the kid’s face, slowed his approach and put out his hands. “Hey, we aren’t going to hurt you. Do you remember what happened?”

“Oh man, that would be so weird if he still had all of Snart’s memories but was a little kid,” Cisco said and Barry shot him a look that hopefully translated to ‘shut up and get him something to wear.’

Smiling at Snart, Barry sat down on the floor in front of him. “Ignore Cisco. It’s what you normally do anyway.”

Snart still looked terrified as he wrapped the parka tighter around him and watched the room.

“Can you tell me what you remember?”

Those blue eyes stared at him and then at the floor as Snart shook his head. “Where am I?”

Barry sighed and slid a little closer. “You’re at Star Labs, don’t you remember?”

He received another head shake.

“That’s okay,” Barry said in a soft voice. “You’re safe here.”

“Is my dad here?” Snart’s wide-eyed stare sent a shock of pain through Barry’s chest as he recalled the particularly awful aspects of Leonard Snart’s upbringing.

The need to protect Snart welled up inside Barry until he could barely breathe. He could hear someone walking up behind him and he turned to see Caitlin with a Star Labs t-shirt, still looking a bit shocked at the turn of events. 

Taking the shirt from her, Barry held it out towards Snart. “Here, put this on until we can get you some regular clothes, okay?”

Snart reached out and snatched the shirt from him, slipping it over his head while using the parka as a shield.

“Do you think it’d be okay if we did a medical exam?” Caitlin asked, and it took Barry a moment to realize that she’d directed the question towards him.

He waited until Snart was settled in the too-big shirt that slipped over his thin shoulders. “So, bud, would you be up to being examined? My friend Caitlin is a doctor and she wants to make sure that you’re okay.”

Snart looked between the two of them and wrinkled his brow. “Dad says doctors are a waste of time.”

“Your dad isn’t here right now,” Barry replied (because you shot him in the heart). “I think Caitlin is pretty cool though.”

“Pretty cool,” Snart mimicked.

Barry had to force down a giggle before he responded. “Exactly. What do you say?”

Snart shrugged and then looked up at Barry. “What's your name?”

_Guess that answers the question of what he remembers._

“I’m Barry,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Snart took his hand with the solemn attitude of a child who’s been shown what to do with a handshake. “Hi, I’m Leo.”

Caitlin held out her hand. “And I’m Doctor Snow, but you can call me Caitlin, okay?”

Once he’d carefully shook hands with both of them, Snart—Leo—stood up from the parka, leaving it in a pile on the floor as he took a step towards Caitlin. Barry watched with his heart in his throat while Leo took her hand and let her lead him to the medical bay.

Taking out his phone, he dialed the one person he knew that had experience dealing with traumatized children. “Hey Joe, you got a minute?”

“Sure kid, what’s up?”

“We have a bit of a situation here at Star Labs.” He kept his eyes on Leo as Caitlin carefully lifted him up onto the bed and adjusted the t-shirt so it completely covered him.

“What can I do to help?” Joe’s calm voice helped keep Barry in check as he spotted a line of bruising along the side of Leo’s leg.

“I was chasing a witch tonight who was summoning demons and then I ran into Snart who helped take her down but he got hit by one of her spells,” Barry said with a shake of his head.

“What did he do?” Joe asked in alarm.

“He didn’t do anything,” Barry shot back, unable to keep his voice down at Joe’s valid question. “I told you that he helped me.”

“Alright, alright,” Joe said quickly. “What’s the issue then?”

“She changed him into a little kid, not sure exactly how old, but right now he’s scared and doesn’t know where he is or what’s happening.” Barry took a deep breath as he watched Caitlin begin her exam.

“Wow, that’s a first.”

“Yeah, it’s been a weird night.” Barry stood up and walked towards the medical bay. “You’ve dealt with scared kids before, any way you could stop by and give us a hand? I’m a little out of my element.”

Joe huffed out a laugh. “I’m sure. Yeah, I can swing by. Give me twenty minutes.”

“Thanks,” Barry said with heartfelt relief. “See you soon.”

Hanging up the phone, he entered the medical room and watched as Caitlin had Leo lie down so she could run some scans. Tension ran along her arms even as she kept a neutral expression on her face.

“How’s he doing?” Barry asked, even as his chest tightened in anticipation of her response.

She shook her head and held up her tablet, motioning him towards the door while her scanners hummed and sent the readouts to her handheld device. 

Once they were out of earshot, she took a deep breath. “From what I can gather, he’s about six years old right now. He’s still got a high level of adrenaline but I’m putting that down to suddenly finding himself in a strange place and time.” Her hands gripped the tablet and Barry felt the temperature in the room drop.

“Hey, you’re alright,” Barry said, placing a hand on her arm and squeezing.

“He’s six years old and there are cigarette burns on his back, his legs are bruised from what I can only guess was a piece of wood and there’s a scar along his stomach that looks like some sort of stab wound.” By the end, Caitlin’s voice was shaking and her hair was turning white at the roots.

“Holy shit,” Barry said, his voice sounding strangled in his head. “I mean, I knew it was bad but I didn’t think it was this bad so quick.”

“I know he’s Captain Cold, the man that strapped me to a chair with a bomb, but right now, I want to bring his father back from the dead so I can ice him,” Caitlin said through gritted teeth.

“You’re going to ice all of us if you’re not careful,” Barry said with a gentle smile. “Go, take a moment to calm down, and I’ll watch him.”

She shook her head and looked down at her tablet. “I’ll be alright. The scan’s done and it looks like he’s dealing with malnutrition on top of everything else.”

Taking the tablet from her hands, he pushed her towards the door. “So go get him some food and I’ll wait with him. Joe should be on his way by now.”

“Miss Caitlin, can I get up now?” Leo called from across the room.

Taking a deep breath, Caitlin turned towards the small voice. “Sure, go ahead. I’m going to get you something to eat, okay?”

“Okay.” Leo sat up and pulled the oversized shirt down around him until it covered his entire body.

Barry thought back to Snart’s tendency to dress in multiple layers from head to toe and hoped Cisco hurried back with some decent-sized clothes.

_Hurry up, Joe. I am not equipped to handle this._

Caitlin walked out of the cortex and the temperature in the room returned to normal. 

Dragging a chair beside the bed, Barry took a seat and looked up at Leo. “Feeling better?”

Giving a small shrug, Leo kept his eyes on the bed as he tucked his feet up under his shirt. “What are you going to do?”

“We are going to look after you until we can figure out how to fix what’s happened,” Barry said carefully. “We’re good at fixing things, okay?”

Leo nodded and then jumped as a door opened again.

“Hey, why are kids clothes as expensive as adult-sized clothing?” Cisco asked as he brought in a couple of overstuffed bags. “It’s less fabric so it should be less money.”

“I’m not the complaint department,” Barry said with a smile, looking at Leo and rolling his eyes.

Leo giggled and then covered his mouth as if shocked that such a strange sound had come from him. Barry wondered if this tight feeling in his chest would ever go away.

“As if I ever needed a department to handle my complaining,” Cisco said with a scoff.

He put the bags on the bed and looked around. “Where’s Caitlin?”

“She went to get our guest some food,” Barry said, standing up and pulling various t-shirts and pants out of the bags. “Jeez man, did you buy the whole store?”

“I wasn’t sure what he liked,” Cisco said with a shrug. “We all know Captain Cold has a certain style to maintain.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t much matter to a six-year-old kid.” Barry pulled out a shirt with a penguin decal and the words ‘I’m cooler than you’ written across the bottom. “Seriously?”

“We are babysitting a supervillain,” Cisco shot back. “The least I could do is find something funny about all this.”

Barry shook his head but then smiled. The shirt was a little funny.

Handing it to Leo, he pulled out a pair of dark jeans and then almost lost it again at the pack of Flash underwear sitting on the bottom of the bag.

“Okay, how did I not know those were a thing?”

“I know, right? I couldn’t resist.” Cisco’s bright grin was contagious and Barry found himself grinning as he turned back to Leo.

Leo was staring at the shirt in his hand as if it would magically come alive and bite him.

“We’re going to let you get dressed,” Barry said, pushing Cisco towards the door. “Let us know when you’re ready and maybe by then Caitlin will be back with food.”

“These clothes are new,” Leo said, his voice shaking with his response.

“Yeah, we didn’t have anything here.” Barry frowned as Leo pushed the clothes away. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have any money,” Leo said, still frowning at the shirt in his hands. “I can’t pay you back.”

Cisco hit his head on the wall and groaned. “Oh, that’s not fair. Supervillains should not be this cute as kids.”

Barry gave him one last shove out the door. “Go wait for Caitlin or Joe to get here.”

Giving himself time to calm down, Barry waited until Cisco was on the other side of the cortex before turning around. Deep breaths, don’t go back in time and punch through Lewis Snart’s chest.

He walked over to the bed and crouched down so he could catch Leo’s eyes and hold them. “I know this is all weird for you, but I promise, we just want to help.” Putting a hand on the clothing, he put on his brightest smile. “These are for you and you don’t owe us a thing.”

Leo squinted at him, his blue eyes searching Barry’s face as if he could read his mind, figure out the angle. Whatever he saw, it was enough to slowly nod his head and reach for the pile of clothes again.

“You can trust me, okay?”

Leo didn’t answer but Barry let it be, giving him another smile and then following Cisco out of the room.

“Can we just keep him like this?” Cisco asked when Barry closed the exam room door. “He’s much more manageable this way.”

“Yeah, sure,” Barry said, his voice dripping sarcasm. “You just run along and tell Lisa that we’ve turned her older brother into a little kid and we’re keeping him.”

Cisco shivered in horror and grabbed Caitlin’s tablet. “I’ll just get started on processing this data.”

“Mhm.” Barry walked back over to the exam room, hoping he’d given Leo enough time to get changed.

He found the Star Labs t-shirt, a small pile of packaging, but no Leonard Snart.


	3. The Cost of Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Leo, dinner time, and a meeting with Joe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need to do penance for what I'm putting Leo through in this fic XD
> 
> Beta'd by two marvelous people, [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

“How did he get out?”

“How the hell should I know?!” Cisco responded, checking the video feeds while Barry paced behind him. “I was talking to you the whole time.”

Barry groaned and pulled at his hair, hating the heavy feeling of panic in his chest at the sight of that empty room. He needed to keep his promise to Leo, to keep him safe and fix the current disaster, but leave it to Snart to complicate things.

“We have to find him before Caitlin gets back,” Barry said, looking down at his watch. “And where is Joe?”

“Do you want me to look for Joe or Little Snart cause doing both is going to slow me down,” Cisco said as his fingers moved in quick patterns over his keyboard.

“Find Leo,” Barry said and walked back to the exam room.

He’d always had a soft spot for Snart, ever since that night in the woods where they made their pact and began an unsteady truce. The metahuman betrayal couldn’t even erase all of it, his guilt over the situation still lingering in his mind and he had to admit that Snart kept the erratic group in line, which was probably best for everyone involved. 

_Not that I could actually tell him that. He’d have unleashed hell just to prove me wrong._

Barry hadn’t said anything (to anyone), but when he’d heard Snart had thrown in with the Legends and gone off to save the future, he’d raced around Central City with a giant smile on his face. There was something magnetic about the thief, a force of nature without any extra metahuman abilities, that made Barry sit up and take notice.

_The fact that he’s the most gorgeous man you’d ever seen in a mugshot binder didn’t help._

“Um, Barry, I think I might have found him.”

Turning back to Cisco, he shook away that last train of thought and turned back to the matter at hand. “Where?”

“He never left the exam room,” Cisco said, waving in that direction. “I think he crawled into one of the maintenance tubes.”

“Who crawled where?”

Barry groaned as Caitlin walked back into the cortex carrying three bags from Big Belly Burger and wearing a worried frown.

“Um, we left Leo in the exam room to change and he might be trying to escape.” Cisco pointed at something on his screen. “There’s a heat signature in this maintenance tube that suggests someone very small is crawling through it.”

“I can’t leave for one minute, can I?” Caitlin said as she set down the food.

“I’ll go get him,” Barry said quickly.

Caitlin nodded. “Let him know there’s food.”

“If you can call this food,” Cisco said even as he opened one of the bags and pulled out a burger.

“Do you see how small he is?” Caitlin asked, smacking Cisco’s shoulder. “Something with high calories can only help.”

Barry took a second look at Cisco’s computer to make sure he opened the correct hatch and walked back to the exam room. “If Joe gets here, let him know where I am. And we should think about where he’s going to stay while we figure this out.”

He left his two friends to their bickering and popped open the covering on the small maintenance tunnel. It was dark and cramped and he had to fight back the feeling of being trapped as he wiggled forward through the small space.

“Hey, Leo, you there?” The last thing he wanted to do was spook Leo into trying to flee instead of hiding. “We’re getting a little worried here.”

The slight banging sound of knees against the metal echoed through the tube and Barry pressed on, keeping an ear out for more noises.

“Caitlin brought food,” Barry said in what he hoped was a calming voice. “Are you hungry?”

The banging stopped and he belly-crawled farther down the metal tube, finally catching a glimpse of sock-covered feet around the corner. Leo was tucked up into a small opening in the maintenance tunnel, his back pressed against a metal grate. He looked ready to cry.

“Hey, there you are,” Barry said with a smile. “Guess you found the best hide and seek place, huh?”

Leo blinked a few times and stared at him with a look of concentration. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?” Barry asked in a gentle voice, crawling a little closer so he could rest a bit more comfortably in the cramped space. “I mean, we were all worried because we thought you’d disappeared, but no one’s mad.”

Leo looked unconvinced but he did uncurl slightly from the grate. “I’m not supposed to run away.”

“Well, we all want to run away from things sometimes,” Barry said, doing his best to repress the need to giggle at that sentence. “It’s okay.”

Holding out his hand, Barry motioned Leo towards him. “Come on, let’s go get some food before Cisco eats it all.”

Leo looked at the outstretched hand then back at Barry before finally reaching out and taking it. Barry shivered at the feel of that small hand settling so carefully within his own and the amount of courage it must have taken for Leo to take a step towards trust.

“I’m sorry you got scared,” Barry told him as they slowly made their way out of the maintenance tube. “I know I told you that you didn’t have to be, but it’s okay if you are.”

Leo didn’t say anything, but he squeezed Barry’s hand and the small gesture left an ache in Barry’s heart. Even once they fixed Leo and turned him back into the sarcastic guarded man he was, Barry doubted he could ever go back to fighting against him.

Exiting the long metal tunnel, Barry unbent and stretched out the slight cramp in his legs. Leo kept a firm grip on his hand as they walked to the bay of computers in the cortex where Caitlin was holding a box of chicken nuggets, a small order of fries, and a milkshake and smiling.

“There you are,” Caitlin said, as if Leo had only taken a slight detour and hadn’t worried them all with his disappearing act. “I saved these for you. Do you like Big Belly Burger?”

Leo gave her a slight frown. “I don’t know.”

“Let’s find out,” she said, setting the food down and pulling a chair up to the desk. “Come on, sit down and eat.”

Giving Barry a look of indecision, Leo seemed torn between eating and holding onto his hand. The food won out and he released Barry to climb up onto the chair. Grabbing his own food from the bags, Barry kept close to Leo as he dug into his first burger.

“You have to like Big Belly Burger,” Cisco said from the other side of the desk. “It’s like a Star Labs rule or something.”

“You were just corrupted at a young age,” Caitlin said with a laugh.

Once he was eating, Leo seemed to relax and when Caitlin pushed the milkshake in his direction, he didn’t hesitate to gulp down the chocolatey mess. When he looked up from the cup with a milkshake mustache across his upper lip, Barry let out a laugh and handed him a napkin from his bag.

“Here, you’re not old enough to have to shave yet,” he said with a grin.

Leo grinned back and the sight of him happy at such a little thing sent goosebumps across Barry’s arms.

_I got you, kid. Nothing bad is going to happen to you while I’m around._

The strong need to protect Leo was different than his need to protect the city and it threatened to send Barry running for the nearest exit. He’d known so much about Snart’s previous history, but to see it so clearly in front of him in the form of this scared and distrustful kid, the perspective was eye-opening.

“Where is he going to stay while we figure this out?” Barry asked as he opened up his second burger. “He can’t stay here.”

“Well, since you already seem to have a connection, it’s probably best if he stays with you,” Caitlin said with a shrug, taking a bite of her chicken sandwich. “I don’t have any place to put a kid.”

“Did we want to see about tracking down his sister?” Cisco asked, twirling around in his chair.

Barry shook his head. “I’d rather not deal with the scarier Snart sibling right now, especially when there is a good chance she will blame us for what happened.”

Cisco sighed and tapped a finger against the desk. “You just don’t want her to yell at you.”

“Very true,” Barry said without an ounce of shame. “Staying with me and Joe is probably our best bet then unless we can get a hold of the Waverider”

“The Waverider?” Caitlin cocked her head to the side. “Why?”

“The only other person we know who would watch out for him while we work on reversing whatever spell did this is Mick Rory.” Barry reached over and snatched a few fries from Caitlin’s pile. “And he’s weirdly good with kids.”

“Okay, so I work on tracking down the Waverider while we wait for Joe,” Cisco said, sweeping his pile of fast-food wrappers into the trash.

“Where is Joe?” Barry asked, looking at his watch. “He said he’d be here in twenty minutes.”

“Can I have some ketchup?” Leo asked in a quiet voice.

Cisco scoffed and reached into a nearby bag, pulling out a small plastic container. “Chicken nuggets go with barbecue sauce, okay kid?” He opened the small packet and placed it in front of Leo. “I have so much to teach you.”

The answering scrunched face didn’t inspire confidence and Barry hid a smile behind his hand as Leo pushed the goopy brown sauce away with a shake of his head.

“Ketchup it is,” Barry said, handing the packets over with a flourish.

“Heathens, the both of you,” Cisco muttered as he took back the barbecue sauce and threw it in the garbage.

Barry flashed Leo a grin and the panic in his chest eased a bit at his hesitant smile. Seeing Leo relaxing a bit as he ate, and not so freaked out by the recent events, gave Barry hope that he wouldn’t be spending more time in the Star Labs maintenance tunnels.

Footsteps echoed in the hall and Barry sighed in relief as he recognized Joe’s steady gait. “Finally.”

Joe entered the cortex with his usual brisk walk, taking in the scene of everyone chowing down on burgers and fries with a smile. “Sorry I’m late, Iris caught me as I was leaving and wanted to talk about her latest editorial.” He looked over to Leo. “So, this is Captain Cold as a tyke?”

Barry jumped at the sound of a chair falling over and turned to see Leo dart under the desk, a look of complete terror on his face.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Barry said, kneeling down beside Leo’s hiding spot. “It’s just Joe. He’s safe.”

Leo shook his head and curled into a ball.

Giving Joe a look of confusion, Barry sat down next to Leo. “What’s wrong?”

“Please, I’ll be good.” Leo’s voice shook as he cowered under the desk.

“I know,” Barry said, holding out his hand. “You don’t have anything to be scared of here, okay?”

Leo didn’t seem to hear him, only giving a small whimper and wrapping his arms tighter around his legs.

“Okay, you can stay there,” Barry said with a small smile.

Whatever relief he’d felt at Joe’s presence disappeared as Leo buried his head between his knees and curled further into the corner.

_No one should be this messed up at six._

Standing up and giving Joe a shrug, he pointed to the far corner of the room, indicating with his gesture for Joe to meet him by the wall.

“So, I don’t think he likes you very much,” Barry said by way of apology.

“I can see that,” Joe replied with a shake of his head. “He seems fine with you though.”

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Barry ran his hand through his hair with a soft sigh. “And I was hoping we could take him to our place for the night but I don’t want him to be terrified the whole time.”

“Does this mean he might retain some memories?” Joe asked. “I mean, I have arrested him before.”

“Arrested him…” Barry groaned and banged his head against the wall. “You’re a cop. Of course. He could see your badge on your belt.”

“So?”

“Don’t you see?” Barry turned to look at where Leo still hid, his small body tucked up under the desk with his face hidden in his shirt. “The only cops he’s ever known were his dad and his dad’s friends.”

Joe’s face fell at the implications and he leaned back against the wall. “Right. The kid wouldn’t trust anyone with ties to his old man. Shit.”

“Yeah.” Barry wanted to scoop Leo up and run until Central City was just a speck on the horizon.

_Maybe then he’d feel a little less scared._

Joe crossed his arms. “Well, what’s the other idea? You are still going to work on reversing this, right?”

“Of course, but we’re all beat and he needs somewhere that isn’t here to stay.” Walking back to the desk, Barry swept the rest of the food trash into the garbage. “Cisco, I think we really need to track down Mick.”

“Already on it,” Cisco said with a wave over his shoulder. “But I don’t think he’s showing up tonight.”

Barry looked at Joe and held up a closed fist. “Rock, paper, scissors for who gets a hotel?”

Pushing Barry away, Joe took a long look at the small form still hiding under the computer console and let out a sigh. “Take him home. You’ll both be more comfortable and I’ll crash with Iris.” He huffed and put his hands on his hips. “Are you going to tell her or am I?”

“I’ll text her,” Barry told him with a smile and a soft shove towards the door. “Now go. He hasn’t finished eating and he’s had a rough day and he needs to sleep.”

Staring at him for a moment, Joe’s face twitched and then he let out a burst of laughter. “Sure thing, dad.”

Barry felt the blush flood his entire face as Joe walked out of the room, still laughing.


	4. The Cost of Negotiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry finally manages to get Leo settled for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to everyone who's commented on this fic! I didn't start out to write a de-aging story when I joined this fandom so this is all thanks to the ColdFlash discord being the spark of inspiration I needed.
> 
> Beta'd by a couple of friends in the coldflash discord (much love!) [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

With Joe out of the building, Barry resorted to bribery to get Leo to come out from under the desk. Two red vines and a small bag of peanut M&M’s later, and he had the six-year-old back up and eating his food, though Leo turned his chair so he could see the door from where he sat.

“Are you texting Iris before or after Joe gets to her place?” Cisco asked, his concentration split between his computer screen and Barry.

“Shit, right.” Barry pulled out his phone and quickly snapped a picture of Leo. “Proof, at least as much as I can give her.”

Finding a semi-private corner, Barry pulled up his text window for Iris. 

**B - So, it’s gonna be weird for a bit.**

**I - What’s up?**

**B - Captain Cold had a run in with a witch I was chasing. She hit him with a spell and this is what we’re dealing with. {Image Attached}**

**I - OMG. Wait, that’s him?**

**B - Yeah.**

**I - How old is he now?**

**B - Caitlin says six.**

**I - Aww, he’s so cute!**

**B - Ha, I should find a teenage picture of him, just to prove that everyone has an awkward stage.**

**I - Ignoring that. What does this have to do with me?**

**B - So, Leo kind of freaked out when Joe stopped by. I was going to have him stay with me but if Joe’s there then he’s probably going to continue freaking out.**

**I - Who freaks out on dad? Kids love him. It’s a problem sometimes.**

Clenching his jaw, Barry glanced over at Leo and felt the familiar twinge in his chest as he watched the kid carefully organize his M&M’s on the desk by color.

**B - Remember who his dad is? When Caitlin did the med exam, she had to leave the room before she iced the whole building.**

**I - Fuck. Okay, I get it.**

**B - It’s been a day. I just wanted to give you a heads up about Joe needing a place to crash.**

**I - I’ll set the couch up. What are you going to do if this isn’t a quick fix?**

**B - I got Cisco looking for Mick Rory and, until then, he stays with me.**

**I - And you magically know how to take care of a kid?**

**B - With this one, it’s pretty easy to figure out. Don’t do anything Lewis Snart would do.**

**I - You got me there.**

**B - I’ll talk to you tomorrow. He looks like he’s about to faceplant into his M &M’s. **

**I - Have, fun? I guess?**

**B - Haha.**

Tucking his phone back in his pocket, Barry settled his nerves with a few deep breaths and walked over to the exam room. A large number of Leo’s new clothes were spread out on the bed and he gathered them up in one of the shopping bags. He’d call in to the precinct tomorrow to let them know he needed a few personal days and hopefully by then, Mick would either show up or they’d figure out how to reverse the spell.

“Ready to head out?” He asked as he walked back towards the computer desk. 

The light went out in Leo’s eyes and his face paled as if he’d been drained of blood.

“No, not to your place. You’ll be staying with me for now,” Barry added quickly, trying to stop whatever panic-driven action was building in Leo’s mind.

Relief passed over Leo’s face and his body collapsed back into the chair. Barry could have cursed at his slip, but Leo only nodded and, after taking a slow breath, turned back to carefully place what was left of his M&M’s in their bag. His intense concentration was so familiar; Barry grinned as the bag of candy disappeared into a random pocket without a trace.

“We’ll be back tomorrow, alright?” Barry asked, hoping that by including him in all the decisions, Leo wouldn’t feel so out of place and alone.

Another nod was all he got, but since Leo also looked ready to fall asleep on his feet, Barry didn’t want to push for a verbal answer. Gathering up the clothes and the large parka sitting in the middle of the room that no one had moved, Barry stopped and turned to Cisco.

“Wait, I can’t take the bus back,” he said with a groan. “And running us home probably isn’t a good idea either.”

“Well, you sped him to the lab right?” Cisco looked at Leo, furrowing his brow. “Do you remember how you got here?”

Leo looked at Barry and nodded slowly. “He’s fast.”

Groaning again, Barry knelt down to eye-level with Leo. “Okay, yes. I’m fast, very fast. But you can’t tell anyone okay? It’s a secret.”

Leo leaned in close. “M&Ms.”

Caitlin and Cisco burst out laughing and even Barry had to grin.

“Blackmailing people already?” He said with a shake of his head. “Alright, but you can’t eat them all at once or you’ll get sick.”

Leo’s face lit up with a smile and he grabbed hold of Barry’s hand. Caitlin took the Captain Cold parka from Barry and wrapped it around Leo, smiling as he almost disappeared into the blue fabric.

“Stay in this while Barry’s running so you don’t get scared.” She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, looking up at Barry as if to say ‘I couldn’t resist’. “See you tomorrow.”

“Bye dude,” Cisco said with a wave before turning back to his computer.

With a final nod to his friends, Barry scooped up Leo into his arms and sped off towards his house. Moments later, he placed Leo on the couch in the living room and opened up the parka to find him giggling.

“What?” Barry asked with a laugh.

“That was fun,” Leo said, taking off the parka and looking around at his new surroundings.

Barry shook his head. “Of course you would think it’s fun.”

Leo stood up and walked over to the wall of photos, looking at them with a tilt of his head as if trying to puzzle out some meaning. He reached towards one of Barry, Iris, and Joe, all of them sitting out on the lawn with a picnic basket spread around them and wide smiles on their faces. He jerked his hand back before he could make contact and looked back at Barry. 

It hurt, more than Barry could have imagined, to see that level of confusion on Leo’s face over happy family pictures.

“Come on, I’ll set up you up in Iris’ old room.” He held out his hand and tried not to think of how natural it felt to have Leo instantly grab hold, trust gained with each point of contact.

Finding a set of pajamas in the bag of clothes had Barry blessing Cisco for his foresight and cursing him a little when they turned out to be covered in snowflakes. Leo didn’t seem to mind the snow and ice themed clothes and Barry directed him to the bathroom to wash up and change. He found an unused toothbrush in the guest bathroom and passed it to Leo through a crack in the door before heading to his own room to change.

_At least the witch didn’t turn him into a baby. I don’t think I could have lived with having to give Captain Cold a diaper change._

He shuddered a little at the thought and pulled on an old Star Labs t-shirt before going to check on his young house guest. The lilac bedspread was pulled back and Leo sat on the plush mattress with his feet tucked under the blanket with one of Iris’ old stuffed animals, a fat raccoon with dingy white and black fur.

When he noticed Barry, he threw the toy away and crawled under the covers, quickly pulling the blankets up to his chin.

Barry walked around and picked up the raccoon, checking the tag and chuckling a bit at the name. “Did you want to sleep with Bandit? I’m sure Iris won’t mind.”

“I’m too big,” Leo responded in a soft voice. “Stuffies are for babies.”

“Well, then I guess I’m a baby,” Barry said with a shrug. “I still have my old stuffie in my room. He’s a monkey and his name is Wellington.”

Leo raised his eyebrows and Barry could almost hear the unspoken mocking.

“I know. I was a weird kid.” Barry carefully placed the raccoon on the pillow next to Leo’s head. “How about Bandit just stays here, and if you want to, you can hold him. If not, well, at least you have some company.”

Giving him a hard look, Leo finally nodded and leaned back into the pillows. Barry didn’t comment on how he took the time to make sure he wasn’t going to dislodge the stuffed raccoon.

“Get some sleep,” he said instead, giving the bed a pat. “If you need anything, I’m in the room across the hall.”

With a final nod, Leo closed his eyes and Barry left the room, leaving the door open just a crack so he could hopefully hear if Leo got out of bed.

_Well, that went okay._

Barry started for his own bed, but then stopped and headed to the kitchen. Checking the pantry and the fridge, he decided on pancakes for the morning; chocolate chips or blueberries would be the first choice of Leo’s day.

_Choices, how many of those did he have as a kid?_

He thought back to that night when he and Iris had come home to find Snart in their living room, drinking their cocoa, and generally being a pain in the ass. He’d said something about having a rough childhood and Iris had shot back that everyone in the room had had a rough childhood. At the time, he’d cheered her on for standing up to Snart’s sarcasm, but now, after what he’d seen…

There’s still a difference between something traumatic happening during your childhood and having your entire childhood BE traumatic. That he didn’t turn out just like Lewis is kind of incredible.

A dull thud of pain in his heart pushed Barry back up the stairs and towards Iris’ room, needing to check and make sure that everything was alright. He peeked in through the crack of the door and melted at the sight of Leo snuggled into the comfortable bed, his arms wrapped tight around Bandit. Leaning back against the wall, Barry took a long, deep breath and then headed to bed.


	5. The Cost of Assuming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo gets a relaxing morning with Barry before some ~~old~~ new friends come to visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All thanks to my dear beta readers [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Any mistakes found are my own :P  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

“Alright, Cisco is banned from ever buying you clothes,” Barry said, pursing his lips in barely contained amusement as Leo came down the stairs in a shirt with two ice cubes and a baby emoticon stretching across it.

Leo looked down and scrunched up his face. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Barry cleared his throat as he waved Leo into the kitchen. “You’ll get it when you’re older.”

Directing Leo to one of the tall stools next to the counter, Barry turned to the cabinets and pulled out the ingredients for pancakes.

“Alright, I have a crucial decision for you to make,” he said once Leo was properly situated on his seat. “Chocolate chip or blueberry pancakes?”

A confused look fell over Leo’s face; the one Barry now saw as him trying to come to terms with the differences in his life.

“I usually have cereal for breakfast,” Leo said after a moment.

“I mean, I have cereal, but since I’m not going into work today, I thought pancakes would be better.” Barry pulled out a container of blueberries from the fridge. “Is that alright?”

Leo’s enthusiastic nod made him smile and Barry put the blueberries on the counter. “So, blueberries or,” he reached into the cupboard next to the stove and pulled out a bag marked with the Tollhouse logo. “chocolate chips?”

Taking his time, Leo examined each item and then looked up at Barry. “Both.”

Chuckling under his breath, Barry gave him a wink and picked up the two items. “Blueberry chocolate pancakes, coming up.”

A moment of silence fell over the kitchen as Barry prepared the pancakes and Leo watched as if there was something magical about the process. Instead of using his speed, Barry took his time with each step, appreciating that he had an audience.

Once he had the first pancake cooking in the skillet, a generous helping of blueberries and chocolate chips spread out over the batter, he turned to see Leo looking at him with a question behind his eyes.

“Barry,” Leo said in a tentative voice. “Where are we?”

“What do you mean?” He thought he knew where this was going, but didn’t want to rush the conversation when he had no idea what answers to give.

Leo shrugged and looked down at the counter. “The clothes, food, that block that you have in your pocket, everything looks different.”

Scratching the back of his neck, Barry turned back to the stove and used the pancake-flipping process as a stall tactic.

_ I gotta tell the truth. He can handle that, right? I mean, he handled the reveal of my speed just fine. _

“So, you know how I can go really fast?” He didn’t turn around, wanting Leo to engage with more than nods this time.

“Yeah,” Leo said after a moment.

“Well, there are other people out there who can do things, different things, but still pretty amazing.” It didn’t seem so hard to keep talking so long as his hands were busy making breakfast. “So, there was a woman, a bad woman, who could do magic and change things to her will, and I was trying to stop her, cause that’s what I do.”

“You stop bad people?” The hope in Leo’s voice was almost too much, but Barry pushed down the ache and continued with his explanation.

“I try, I don’t always get it right though.” Stacking two pancakes on a plate, he turned around and presented them to Leo. “Anyway, I was trying to stop the bad woman, and you were there too, only you were older and trying to help. She hit you with a spell and it turned back time so that you were six years old again.”

Leo looked down at his pancakes with a frown, and Barry let him process that information while he took out syrup, butter, and a can of whipped cream, trying to act as normal as possible while internally freaking out about what he’d just told a six-year-old.

“Turned back time,” Leo said, reaching for the syrup. “Does that mean it’s a different time now?”

“Not for me, just for you,” Barry explained.

Pulling out his phone, he opened the lock screen and showed it to Leo. “See that date at the top? That’s when we are now.”

“But thats-”

“Impossible?” Barry finished for him, giving him a little grin.

Pulling the Speedforce around himself, he rushed upstairs to grab Bandit, setting him down in front of Leo before he had a chance to blink.

“Impossible is what I do,” Barry told him, getting a curious delight at the awe on Leo’s face as he looked between the raccoon and Barry.

“That was awesome,” Leo said in a breathless voice.

Barry would have given himself more time to bask in Leo’s astonishment, but the smell of burning pancake batter knocked him back to reality and he raced to the stove, scraping the blackened mess out of his pan and into the garbage.

Turning to Leo, he pointed to the garbage. “You weren’t going to eat that, right?”

Cutting a small piece of pancake from his plate and stuffing it in his mouth, Leo gave him a look of disgust and shook his head.

“Didn’t think so.”

He wiped off the remaining residue, set the pan back on the stove, and returned to making his own breakfast.

***

“Good news or the bad news?” Cisco asked as they walked into Star Labs, each holding a cup from Jitters (Barry’s was his normal coffee while Leo had hot chocolate).

“Bad news first, we can handle it.” Barry waved to Caitlin as she joined them in the cortex.

Leo went to stand next to her, smiling and holding up his cup. “Barry got me hot chocolate.”

“That was nice of him,” Caitlin said, shaking her head and giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“I think Barry is always nice,” Leo said in a determined voice as if no one could change his mind.

Barry had to turn away before he did something weird, like make a promise to always be nice, just for Leo. Caitlin coughed a bit to cover up her own reaction, but when Barry turned back around she mouthed ‘he’s too sweet’ and he almost gave in to the temptation.

“Guys, you okay?” Cisco tapped his tablet, calling their attention back to his news. “We can talk about how nice Barry is later.”

Refocusing his attention, Barry waved at Cisco to continue.

“Right, bad news first.” Cisco pulled up a map of Central City. “I can’t locate that last demon anywhere in the city and The Summoner is being very unhelpful with the search. We're going to have to get her unconscious again before we transport her to Iron Heights.” He waved at Leo. “This also means I still have no theories on how to fix the reverse Big situation over here.”

“Nice reference,” Barry said, giving Cisco a fist bump. “Is that all the bad news?”

“I mean, I could talk about climate change,” Cisco shrugged. “Those polar bears seem pretty fucked to me.”

“What’s the good news?” Caitlin asked with a shake of her head.

“I was able to contact the Waverider and explain our situation,” Cisco said with a grin. “Heat Wave and company should be showing up any minute.”

“It’s a strange day when we're celebrating the return of Heat Wave,” Caitlin said, looking down at Leo with a smile.

He gave her a small smile back and then looked at Cisco. “Why are the polar bears fucked?”

Barry choked on the swallow of coffee in his mouth and Cisco had to pound his back a few times as he coughed. They were spared the awkward explanation by the sound of something heavy landing near the building and they turned to the monitors just in time to see the Waverider go invisible.

“Oh look, they’re here.” Cisco unlocked the doors and disabled the security measures, keeping his gaze firmly on the computer screens.

Giving him a small push, Barry moved over to Leo and pointed at his cup. “You done?”

Leo took one last drink and handed the empty cup over. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

Barry pointed to the exam room. “There’s a bathroom in there, but hurry.”

With a fast nod, Leo took off and Barry looked over to see Caitlin watching him with curiosity.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Caitlin said, holding up her hands. “You’re just, really good with him is all.”

“It’s not like it’s hard.” Barry rubbed the back of his neck, hating the blush he could feel on his cheeks. “He’s a resilient kid.”

“Well, he’s had to be,” Caitlin responded, crossing her arms over her chest. “You sure you don’t want him to just stay with you?”

“Honestly, I thought about it this morning during breakfast,” Barry replied, crossing his own arms and looking towards the door. “But we already contacted Rory, and Leo might be more comfortable with him. It’s his choice.”

Caitlin put her hand on his arm. “See, you’re good at this.”

Barry gave her a grateful smile but didn’t relax his stance. It felt strange already, to think of Leo off with Rory while Team Flash worked on fixing the age regression issue, but he couldn’t do anything about it now.

_ We should have waited to call. I just didn’t expect him to get so comfortable with me so quickly. I want him to stay. _

That last thought circulated in his head, reminding him of a similar thought he’d had about Snart, the grown-up version. Whatever antagonism they fostered towards each other, there was also a layer of genuine fondness he couldn’t quite shake. When Snart had returned to Central City, Barry could tell there was something different about him, but since it wasn’t his place to ask, he’d settled on being happy that the snarky man was back.

_ I want him to stay. _

“Barry, are we staying here?” Leo asked, moving back into his position by Caitlin.

The doors to the cortex opened and Rory walked in with Sara Lance on his heels.

“Snart, what have you done to yourself now?” Rory asked as he stomped over to Barry, his eyes locked on the kid next to him.

Barry looked down to see Leo’s eyes widen in terror.

_ Oh shit. _

When Rory lifted his hand to either pat him on the back or grab his arm, Leo ran behind Barry, around the computer desk, and took off for the exit as if being chased by a wild animal.

Sara shook her head. “Good job, Mick. Gonna kick a few puppies before we leave?”

Rory looked at her and lifted an eyebrow. “Skittish little thing.”

Barry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and pushed himself away from the wall. “I’ll go get him. But remember, he doesn’t know you, either of you. So be nice.”

“Snart doesn’t do nice.” Rory’s voice followed him as Barry sped for the nearest exit, catching Leo just as he was pushing the door open.

“Did you need to be somewhere?” Barry asked, hoping to throw him off guard with the joke.

Leo kicked out at him, catching Barry in the shins and struggling to his arm out of Barry’s hold. “Let me go!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Barry let go of his arm but crouched down and put his hands on Leo’s shoulders. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, alright?”

Leo’s lip trembled as he stared at the ground, his hands balled up in little fists at his side. With anyone else, Barry would have given in to the desire to pull him close and hug him, encourage him to let out all that fear and anger. With Leo, he needed a different tactic.

Sliding over to the wall, Barry sat down and rubbed at his kicked shin. “I’m sorry if Rory came off a little scary, but I promise he’s a friend, your friend.”

The little hitch in Leo’s breath gave away how close he was to tears. Barry gave the space next to him a tap and, though Leo’s fists were still clenched and shaking, he walked over and sat down.

“We’ll stay here until you feel better,” Barry said, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.

Leo shifted and fidgeted beside him but Barry kept quiet, hoping the monotony would help calm him down without any pressure.

After a few moments, he felt a small hand slide into his own and Barry looked over to find Leo watching him, fear still present but lessened.

“Okay, I’ll meet your friend,” Leo said with a look of stoic bravery, a look too old for his face.

_ Not really my friend, more like an aggressive acquaintance. _

With a solemn nod, Barry stood and helped Leo to his feet. “Just give it a chance, that’s all I ask.”

They held hands on the way back to the cortex and Barry tried not to read too much into how it felt as if they were anchored together.


	6. The Cost of Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo gets a time ship tour and Barry makes a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you as always to my lovely readers and for all the comments! *soft hugs*  
> My beta readers are also fabulous and deserve so many thanks [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

“Where is she? I bet I have ways of making that witch talk that you’ve never dreamed of.” The sight of Rory looming over Cisco greeted Barry as he and Leo reentered the cortex and he sighed at the man’s inability to keep his temper in check.

“We are not torturing her,” Barry said, giving his voice a touch of power to make his point clear.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” Rory said with a sneer. “I volunteer.”

“Not our problem, Mick,” Sara chimed in with a kick to Rory’s leg. “It’s their house, their rules.”

Rory grunted but backed away from Cisco, instead, turning all his attention to Barry and Leo, the latter clinging to Barry’s hand like it was his only lifeline. 

Rory spared Leo a quick glance before giving Barry a thorough once-over, raking his eyes over every inch until Barry felt peeled out of his skin. “So, you’re The Flash.”

_ Oh, shit. _

“Um, surprise?” Barry looked over at Cisco and winced as his friend brought his head against the desk with a thud.

“Guess I can see now why Snart was so obsessed,” Rory said with a huff. “Don’t worry, don’t care enough to tell anyone.”

“Okay,” Barry said, glancing at Sara to gauge her reaction. She seemed mildly amused but not on guard. “Thanks.”

“Can I go interrogate the witch now?” There was a glint of malice in Rory’s eyes as he spoke.

“We’re keeping her here until her demon magic battery is found and sent back, and then we’re transferring her to Iron Heights.” Barry gave Leo’s hand a gentle squeeze before he let go. “You’re not here to help with her anyway.”

Rory shrugged but his eyes shifted to Leo and his face relaxed, softening into a look of consideration. He walked slowly as if making sure Leo could track his movements and stopped a few feet away to crouch down.

“You’re scared of me,” Rory said without preamble.

Barry put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Hey, he’s had a rough day so-”

“Shut up, sparky,” Rory said, not taking his eyes off Leo. “I’m talking to the kid.”

Barry huffed but stayed silent, hoping this wasn’t a big waste of time.

“What’s got you spooked?” Rory asked, his voice still gruff but lacking that edge of intimidation.

Keeping his body close to Barry, Leo shrugged and pulled at the hem of his shirt. “I’m sorry.”

“Not asking for a sorry,” Rory said, tilting his head to the side. “Asked why you were scared.”

“You sounded mad.” Leo kept his voice quiet but it still carried in the silence of the large room.

Rory nodded and looked down at his hands. “And when a big man gets mad, it’s best that you run. You got good instincts, kid.”

Leo looked up at Barry, worry on his face like he might do something wrong and Barry patted his back in reassurance. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Looking back at Rory, Leo held out a small hand. “I’m Leo.”

“I’m Mick,” Rory said, taking Leo’s hand and shaking it a few times before standing back up. “Ever seen a time ship?”

“Mick, that might not be the best idea,” Sara said from the computer desk. “The Waverider isn’t the best place for kids.”

“He’s fine,” Mick said with a wave towards Barry. “Not like he won’t have an escort.”

Crouching down to Leo’s eye level, Barry placed his hands on Leo’s shoulders. “Want to go see a time ship?”

Leo’s enthusiastic nod lessened the tension in the room and smiles erupted when he grabbed hold of Barry’s hand and pulled him towards the exit.

Gesturing towards the door, Barry looked at Rory, no,  _ Mick _ . “Lead the way.”

Leo seemed to forget all about his previous misgivings as Mick showed him around the impressive ship. He scrambled up into the captain’s chair, giving Sara a pleased smile when she showed him how to work the controls. The other members of the Legends crew were soon dragged into the show-and-tell, and Barry couldn’t stop grinning at how eager everyone was to show off for this child version of Captain Cold.

_ Not like I’m in any place to judge.  _ Barry was sure if he had anything as cool as the Waverider, he’d have done the same thing. Leonard Snart at six years old still held a seed of innocence and wonder, and for people like Barry it was natural to want to protect and shelter that from the world

_ But I don’t get to, not really. _

That thought was enough to alter Barry’s mood and he followed in Leo’s eager wanderings with a mix of anger and guilt growing in his belly.

Once Ray finished showing Leo how the kitchen could synthesize any food, followed by an ice cream cone demonstration that Leo now held in his hand, Mick led them to the living quarters. The sweet treat was melting faster than Leo could eat it but Barry wasn’t going to try and take it away.

“This is my room,” Mick said when they got to the end of the hall.

The room looked like a tornado had blown through only this section of The Waverider, leaving chaos in its path. Suspiciously valuable baubles were strewn amongst various pieces of equipment and tools and copious amounts of empty beer bottles. Leo ducked behind Barry as they entered the space.

“I can have all this cleaned up before you move in,” Mick said, picking up a few bottles and placing them closer to the trash can.

Leo tilted his head and looked up at Barry with confusion written all over his chocolate-smeared face. “What?”

Giving Mick a glare that went completely ignored, Barry leaned against the door frame with a sigh. “Well, while Caitlin and Cisco and I are working on figuring out how to reverse what that bad woman did to you, we thought you might want to stay here, on the ship, with Mick.”

Leo looked back at the room where Mick was busy gathering up the clutter into disorganized piles and slowly shook his head. “No, I want to stay with you.”

“Leo, you’ll have a whole ship to explore,” Barry said with a wave of his hand, even as a smile threatened to break over his face at Leo’s response. “It’ll be a lot more fun here than in the lab.”

“Sure,” Mick said from across the room. “We’ll have fun. I’ll teach you to pick locks.”

There were several heavy looking welding tools nearby that looked dangerous enough to throw at Mick but Barry resisted the urge. He barely had time to brace himself as Leo pushed away and dropped his ice cream cone to the floor.

“No! Please don’t make me!” Tears welled up in Leo’s eyes as he looked at Barry and clenched his fists. “You said I could stay with you!”

Barry reached out to grab him but Leo flinched away and he put his hands up instead. “Why don’t we go back to the kitchen, get some water?.”

“I don’t want to stay here,” Leo said, the tears finally falling down his cheeks. “I’ll be good.”

Barry looked at Mick who seemed frozen in shock at the sight of Leo breaking down. “You can’t say things like that. Those aren’t fun things for him.”

Smearing tears and chocolate across his face as he wiped at his eyes, Leo’s breath stuttered in harsh exhales and he tried to hide his crying by burying his head in his arms. The sight broke Barry’s heart.

“Okay, you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to,” he said gently, kneeling down and opening up his arms. “You can stay with me.”

Leaping into Barry’s arms, Leo buried his face in his shoulder and let out a small whimper. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good. Please don’t make me leave.”

_ Dammit. I’m an idiot. _

Barry felt Mick come up behind him but he kept his focus on Leo and the tight knot of guilt sitting in his stomach as he felt him shudder out a few more sobs.

“Sorry, kid,” Mick said in the softest voice Barry’d ever heard him use. “Best let sparky take care of you.”

Mick left them in the hallway, stopping only to clean up the spilled ice cream cone by the wall, and Barry gave him a nod of thanks before the man disappeared around the corner. Looking down at Leo, Barry sighed and settled back against the wall.

_ Well, this is happening. _

With his arms still wrapped around Leo’s small frame, Barry rubbed one hand along his back, hoping that the tricks he’d learned through experience from Joe would help in this situation.

“Once you’re ready, we’ll go say bye to everyone and then get back to the house. Ice cream isn’t exactly the best lunch.” Barry felt Leo relax slightly as he kept talking. “I hope you’re okay with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because I don’t think I have the brainpower to handle something like macaroni and cheese.”

Leo mumbled something into Barry’s shirt but it was too muffled by fabric for Barry to understand.

“Don’t tell me you’re allergic to peanuts,” Barry said with fake horror. “We’ll starve!”

Finally lifting his head, Leo gave him an incredulous look so similar to the ones Captain Cold would throw his way that Barry had to choke back a giggle.

“I like peanut butter,” Leo said, sniffling as he wiped his nose on his sleeve. “Can we go now?”

“If you’re ready,” Barry said with a shrug. “I’m not in a rush.”

Leo looked down and pulled at the hem of his shirt. “I’m sorry I got ice cream on your shirt.”

Looking at his shoulder which now had a mix of melted chocolate ice cream and tears soaking through it, Barry let out a laugh. “It’s fine, just a shirt.”

Leo looked at his own shirt and back at Barry with panic in his eyes.

“Hey, it’s just a shirt,” Barry repeated before Leo could work himself back into another meltdown. “A quick wash and it’s good as new.”

He stood up with Leo still in his arms.” Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Walking out into the main hallway, Barry concentrated on finding his way back to the control room instead of on how Leo settled into his arms and rested his head back on Barry’s shoulder. There was so much trust in that gesture and Barry felt unworthy and honored and terrified that he’d make a mess of the entire situation.

_ Almost did, trying to pawn him off on Rory. _

That hadn’t been the intent, of course. Barry had enough self-realization that he’d only been thinking of what would be best for Leo, but it still felt like he’d made a huge mistake even contacting The Waverider.

The sight of Ray coming around the corner sent a rush of relief through Barry. “Hey, Ray. Which way to the control room?”

“Oh, I’ll show you,” Ray said with a wide smile. “It took me a little while to get the layout of the ship down myself.”

Leo’s head came up at the sound of Ray’s voice but he kept his arms wrapped around Barry’s shoulders as he whispered, “He’s weird.”

“Yes, yes he is,” Barry said with a chuckle, earning a confused glance from Ray.

“You doing alright there, buddy?” Ray asked, turning his blinding smile in Leo’s direction.

“A-okay, pal,” Leo answered before tucking his head back into Barry’s shoulder.

Ray’s laugh echoed around them and Barry felt Leo let out a small giggle at the other man’s enthusiasm. The laugh was contagious and they were all smiling as Ray led them into the control room. Sara and Mick were tucked into a corner, Sara whispering something to the pyro with her hand on his shoulder and Nate was leaning against the wall with his nose in a book, but they all looked up when Barry walked in carrying Leo.

“Everything alright?” Sara asked with a gentle smile and Barry knew Mick had already given them at least a bit of the story.

“Yeah,” Barry answered, shifting Leo a little higher in his arms. “We should get going though.”

Giving Leo’s head a little nudge with his shoulder, Barry waited for him to raise his head before gesturing to the room. “Time to say goodbye.”

“Bye,” Leo whispered, giving a small wave from his perch before once again hiding his face.

Barry shrugged and walked towards the exit. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks,” Sara said, standing up and giving Mick a pat on the arm. “I’ll walk with you.”

Barry felt like a weight dropped away as he walked off the ship with Leo firmly wrapped in his arms.

“Can I talk to you in private for a moment?” Sara asked as they walked back into STAR Labs.

“Um, sure,” Barry said, giving her a confused look. “Let me get him back to Caitlin.”

Once they were back in the cortex, Leo perked up and Barry set him down in a chair next to Caitlin with a sheepish smile. “I guess he’s staying with me after all.” He gestured towards Sara. “Can you watch him for a minute while we talk real quick?”

She didn’t say anything but gave him a knowing smile before turning her attention to Leo. “Did you like the time ship?”

“Ray made me ice cream,” Leo said with a grin.

“I can see that.” Caitlin shook her head and held out her hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up a bit while Barry and Sara talk.”

_ He bounced back fast. _

Barry watched them walk away and then turned his attention back to Sara. “What’s up?”

She shook her head and walked out the door, leaving Barry to catch up as she headed back to her ship.

“I thought you wanted to talk,” Barry said once he reached her side.

“Tell me, what happens if your team can’t find a way to change him back?” She asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway and turning to face him.

“We’ll find a way,” Barry said with a shrug. “Kind of our thing.”

“What if you can’t?”

It was unthinkable, the idea that they wouldn’t be able to bring Snart back, and Barry shook his head to dislodge the despair settling in his mind at the thought. “No, We WILL figure it out, like always.”

“Barry, there is a kid in there who might need to rely on you for the rest of his life,” Sara said in a gentle voice. “Are you prepared for that?”

He threw himself against the wall and closed his eyes with a sigh. “I don’t know.”

“You need to figure that out.” He felt Sara lean against the wall next to him as she spoke. “Because he’s already attached and if you’re not ready for that kind of commitment, you need to let him go before it gets worse.”

Barry swallowed against the lump in his throat and looked over at Sara. “What if I’m already attached?”

“Then you need to ask yourself if that attachment is strong enough to go the distance,” Sara said with a sad smile. “Take it from someone who was that problem child, it’s not easy.”

“Not exactly the product of a normal childhood either,” Barry said, giving a little laugh. “Maybe that’s why I want to help him so badly.”

Turning to face Sara, Barry frowned and felt something settle in his mind. “I know that this isn’t something from the past I can fix. The Summoner didn’t use time travel so it’s not like this’ll have an impact on Leo’s actual childhood.” He pushed away from the wall and started pacing the hallway, too caught up in what he was saying to stay still. “I got Joe and he got Lewis Snart and that’s not something I can change. But if this is somehow, in a fucked up sort of way, giving him a second childhood, then that’s what I’ll give him.”

“It might get rough,” Sara said, walking over to stand in front of him. “Almost a guarantee.”

Rage flowed through him at her skeptical tone. “That doesn’t mean I’ll abandon him!”

Barry felt his anger drain away as Sara stepped back and gave him a wide smile. “That’s all I needed to hear,” she said, clapping him on the back. “He’s still an honorary part of my team so I had to be sure he’s being taken care of.”

“We’ll find a way to change him back,” Barry said, rubbing the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment at his outburst. “I’m not abandoning Snart either.”

“Neither will we,” Sara said as she pushed him back towards the cortex. “Now go rescue the little trouble maker before Caitlin turns him into a lab rat.”

“I think I dislike you,” Barry said without any real heat in his voice.

“Aww, I’m crushed.” Sara blew him a kiss and waved as she walked out the door.

He took another minute to settle his nerves, determined not to walk back into the cortex blushing like a schoolboy. Feeling exposed and raw by what he’d revealed, Barry focused on his main objective, to turn Leo into Snart again and put everything back to at least a semblance of normal.

_ Please let us find a way to fix this. _

He didn’t know what was more terrifying; spending the next twelve years raising Leo, or never having Leonard Snart as a part of his life.

Barry still didn’t have an answer as he walked back to the cortex to be greeted with the bright smile of a freshly-washed Leo.


	7. The Cost of Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry's made up his mind about Leo but he's still not sure if he has what it takes for this responsibility. Leo makes a new friend (and also a mess).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the darlings who beta read for me (especially when my posting time is scattered AT BEST) [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

The first thing Barry did when they finally got back to the house was make a call to the station and explain that he’d be taking some more time off to deal with an emergency. Singh wasn’t happy but after Barry explained that he was taking care of a friend’s kid, he’d agreed to the vacation time.

“Thank you, sir,” Barry said once Singh told him he’d file the paperwork. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

Hanging up the phone, Barry turned back to the couch where Leo sat with Bandit. “Okay, I think I remember saying something about PB and J sandwiches.”

With a nod from Leo, Barry walked to the kitchen and grabbed bread, peanut butter, and a jar of strawberry jelly, setting them on the counter in his regular assembly line. There was something soothing about the process, a clear goal that he could focus on instead of the twisting doubt in his mind at how he was going to handle the next few days.

_ I don’t even know how long this will last. What if I need to enroll him in school or something? What if someone tries to take him away? _

Two days ago, the only thing he’d worried about was what to get Iris for her housewarming gift and whether or not Cisco could successfully track demon activity. His talk with Sara had helped with his uncertainty, but now worry and doubt about whether or not he could actually take care of Leo full-time rushed through his mind like a flood.

Two quick knocks at the door broke through his silent panicking and he raced from the kitchen in time to see Iris walk into the house.

“Hey Barr,” she said with a wave as she closed the door. “Joe forgot a few things and I figured I could grab them before he got off work.”

Looking over at the couch, Barry could see Leo hiding behind one of the throw pillows with Bandit still clutched in his arms.

“Yeah, sorry, we weren’t expecting anyone.” Barry moved towards the couch and poked at Leo’s pillow shield. “Leo, come say hi to Iris.”

Pulling the pillow away from his face, Leo looked between Barry and Iris for a moment before sliding out from behind his hiding place and giving a small wave. “Hi.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Leo,” Iris said with that soft smile that Barry recognized from his first interactions with her. “I see you’ve met Bandit.”

Leo looked down at the stuffed raccoon and pulled it tight against his chest. “I found him.”

“Oh, that’s a very good sign,” Iris said, stepping closer and kneeling down in front of Leo. “Bandit doesn’t show his face to just anyone. He must have thought you were special.”

“He’s a toy,” Leo said with a scoff, even as he pulled the stuffed animal farther away. “This isn’t a movie.”

Iris laughed and looked up at Barry. “Are you sure he’s six and not sixteen?”

“Pretty sure the snark came built-in,” Barry said, mussing up Leo’s hair with a grin.

“Well, he might just be a toy, but I’m glad you found him,” Iris said, looking back at Leo. “You’ll take good care of him, right?”

Leo nodded, his expression so solemn that someone might think Iris had asked him to swear an oath of fealty.

“You’re welcome to stay for lunch if you have time.” Barry could already feel some of his anxiety melting away at how easy Iris seemed to be handling the situation.

“That depends,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Did you cook?”

“Ha, I made sandwiches.” He wasn’t that bad of a cook so long as he didn’t get distracted, but unfortunately, distraction was a regular occurrence in his life.

Iris laughed and stood back up. “Sounds good to me. Dad’s going to want takeout tonight anyway.”

Barry looked down at Leo. “Alright, triangles or squares?”

“Crust or no crust?” Iris added, bumping her hip into Barry as she walked past him and into the kitchen.

Looking between the both of them, Leo’s expression turned to one of confusion. “Is the crust moldy?”

Barry shook his head and held out his hand. “No mold in this house, except in the blue cheese dressing Joe puts on his chicken wings.”

Feeling Leo’s hand settle into his own, Barry led them both to the counter where Iris stood with a knife. That strange ache of tenderness tugged at his heart as Leo crawled up onto a stool to watch Iris.

“Now, in this house, triangles are the way to go,” Iris said, holding the knife diagonally across a sandwich. “But I can also do rectangles.” She moved the knife again to demonstrate. “And as always, the crust is optional.”

Leo’s face took on that familiar look of contemplation like his answer deserved serious thinking. While Leo pondered his choices, Barry grabbed a stack of sandwiches and dug in.

“And see, Barry here is a wild animal who never learned the patience of proper PB and J etiquette,” Iris said with a wave of her knife. “Don’t be like Barry.”

“I like Barry,” Leo said, frowning and grabbing a whole sandwich. “He’s nice.”

Barry grinned and waved a half-eaten sandwich in Iris’s direction. “My honor is restored.”

Shaking her head and smiling, Iris carefully cut her sandwich into triangles and slid onto the stool next to Leo who was busy seeing if he could eat as fast as Barry. The end result was smeared jelly and sticky peanut butter on the counter but they were too busy laughing to care.

“Go wash up please,” Barry said once the food was gone. “We’ll clean up down here.”

Leo had successfully managed to get strawberry jelly in his hair and Barry resisted the temptation to snap a photo for blackmail material. Climbing off the stool, Leo did as he was told, Bandit dangling from his arms as he marched up the stairs.

The minute Barry heard the bathroom door close, he turned to Iris. “What am I doing?”

Iris grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping down the counters. “You’re helping, like always.”

“Sara talked to me before we came back here,” Barry said, needing to tell someone about the conversation with the intimidating Legends leader. “She asked what I would do if we find out that this is irreversible.”

“Did you tell her Team Flash doesn’t think like that?”

“Yes, but still.” He took the dishes to the sink and turned on the hot water. “She was right to point it out. I mean, this is a child’s life we’re talking about.”

“What did you tell her?”

Barry looked at the dirty knife in his hand and took a deep breath. “I told her that I wouldn’t abandon him, even if we couldn’t fix this.”

He let the silence linger as he finished washing the dishes. It was the right decision, the only decision he could make for the sake of Leo’s fear, his mistrust of a world that only brought him pain. It still scared Barry shitless to think about how his life would change.

“Barry, what do you need me to say?” Her soft voice pulled him back from the dark path of his drifting thoughts.

Looking over to where she stood, leaned against the counter with a concerned look on her face, Barry raked a hand through his hair and sighed. “That I won’t mess this up.”

Iris smiled. “We both know from experience that no matter how great a parent you want to be, sometimes you still mess up.” Walking the short distance to the sink, she put an arm on his shoulder. “That is a big commitment to make, Barry. You have to be sure.”

“I know.” Glancing up the stairs towards the closed bathroom door where the faint sound of running water could still be heard, Barry let some of his uncertainty go. “I’m sure. The last thing I want to do is leave his fate up to chance when there is something I can do to make sure he’s safe and cared for.”

Iris squeezed his shoulder. “Just make sure you’re taking care of yourself as well.” She gave a soft laugh and bumped her hip against his side. “And maybe don’t tell Andrew about any of this because we still haven’t had the kids talk yet.”

Barry laughed and pushed her away. “It’s not like your boyfriend and I spend time talking. Mostly he’s pushing me to move faster so he can start his autopsy.” He gave her his best disgusting face. “How you can stand to date a guy who touches dead bodies for a living is beyond me.”

“Hey, you touch dead bodies too,” Iris said in defense.

“Not as thoroughly.”

Sliding back into their familiar banter felt good and when Leo came back down, Barry pushed Iris towards the staircase. “Don’t you have things to grab?”

Normally, this would have merited a middle finger but with Leo in the room, Iris resorted to sticking out her tongue and traipsing up the stairs before Barry could retaliate.

Turning to Leo, Barry shook his head. “And she says I’m immature.”

Leo answered with a perfect mimic of Barry’s headshake and he draped his arm over Leo’s shoulders with a laugh. Barry felt the full body flinch that shivered through Leo and instantly pulled away.

Leo looked up at him with panic. “I’m sorry! I’ll be good.”

Rage flooded through Barry and he clenched his jaw to keep the emotion at bay, not wanting to push Leo into another panic attack.

_ Time traveling to punch Lewis Snart in the kidneys would be so easy. _

Barry gestured to the couch. “Leo, can you sit down for me?”

He walked to the couch on trembling legs, Bandit clutched like a shield in his arms. Once Leo settled into the cushions, Barry walked in front of him and sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees.

“Leo, I need you to listen to me very carefully,” Barry said, ignoring the sound of Iris coming out of Joe’s bedroom. “You never have to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing.”

Looking down at his feet, Leo nodded and tucked his chin into Bandit’s fur. He looked so distraught that Barry instinctively wanted to wrap his arms around him and hug all his fear away. Thinking back to all times he’d casually invaded Leo’s space without asking made him want to throw up.

_ Haven’t been at this even two full days and you’re already making a mess of things. _

“No one, and that includes me, has the right to touch you or make you feel uncomfortable,” Barry continued, keeping his voice steady even as his anger flared. “If it happens, you have every right to run, yell, or push them away.”

Leo brought his face up in a look of pure skepticism. “I’m not supposed to fight.”

Barry leaned forward but kept his hands on his knees. “If someone isn’t respecting your space, you absolutely fight back.” He took a deep breath and waited for Leo to meet his eyes. “I am sorry I didn’t ask before. I’ll try to do better.”

“It’s okay,” Leo whispered.

“No, it’s not.” Barry waved a hand around the house. “I want you to feel safe here. That means you tell me when something’s bothering you and we find ways to fix it. Just because I’m a hugger, doesn’t mean you have to be one.” Focusing on the last point he wanted to make, Barry forced his anger back down. “One last thing. I know you get scared and it’s never something you have to be sorry for, but I will never hurt you, ever. I need to know that you know that.”

Their eyes met and Barry didn’t back down, wanting Leo to recognize his sincerity. At last, Leo gave a short nod and looked away.

“Anytime you’re scared, I want you to remember that, okay?”

Leo didn’t seem fully convinced but he nodded and relaxed a little on the couch, enough that he put Bandit on the cushion next to him instead of strangling the raccoon. Barry looked towards the stairs where Iris stood with a look of pure horror on her face.

“I’m going to help Iris for a minute,” Barry said, standing up and brushing off his jeans. “Then we can decide what we want to do for the rest of the day.”

Opening the door and following Iris out onto the porch, Barry had a fraction of a second to brace himself before she threw herself into his arms and hugged him.

“Are you okay?” He asked, returning the hug with a sigh of relief.

“I don’t know what happened but that much fear is heartbreaking.” She gave him one last squeeze and released her hold. “Are you okay?”

Barry felt like crying and took a few short breaths to get a handle on his emotions. “All he’s known is fear and pain and I keep thinking how this isn’t real, not to the actual Leonard Snart. He never gets rescued and brought to somewhere safe with people who care about him. He keeps telling me that ‘he’ll be good’ and I’m stuck wondering how long before he stops promising that because it doesn’t work. How long before he’s just silent? How long until he’s just angry?”

Tears fell down his face and Barry wiped them away with a quick brush of his sleeve but didn’t bother covering up his fragile emotional state. Iris knew him well enough that hiding was futile.

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Iris asked with a gentle brush down his arm.

Barry answered with a watery laugh. “I’ve only had Leo for one and a half days and if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this city and then myself.”

The soft touch on his arm turned into a light punch and Iris shook her head. “I don’t just mean Leo. I’m talking about the older, snarkier, colder version of Leonard Snart.”

“What?” Her words startled him out of his downward spiral and Barry narrowed his eyes at her.

“The way you talk about not being able to actually rescue him,” Iris said with a shrug. “The Leo in the living room needs you but you keep focusing on the Leo in the past who you weren’t able to save.”

Barry turned away and looked out towards the driveway. “I know he doesn’t have the best track record with us. Hell, he’s not even metahuman and he became one of my toughest opponents to face, but I can’t help seeing the good in him.” He chuckled and glanced back at Iris. “You know what he was doing when I found him before The Summoner cast her spell?”

She shook her head.

“He was taunting her with pop culture witch references and keeping her trapped across the street.” He laughed at her surprised face. “Yeah, I didn’t even have to beg for his help. We made a pretty good team before he got spelled into a six-year-old.”

“Maybe she owed him money,” Iris said with a grin.

That brought another genuine chuckle and Barry felt his anger melt away as he turned back to the house. “I’ll have to ask him when we reverse this damn spell.”

“I can’t say I completely understand,” Iris said, picking up the duffle bag at her feet and giving him a small smile. “But I’m willing to concede that even someone like Leonard Snart can change through the sheer force of Barry Allen’s faith.”

A blush spread over his face at her words and he pushed her towards the stairs. “Go on, get back home before Joe’s forced to make small talk with Andy.”

“Do not put that into the universe,” Iris said with a shudder. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later, and thanks.”

With a final nod, Iris walked to her car and Barry returned to the living room to find Leo in the same position he’d been in when Barry went outside.

“So,” Barry said to catch his attention. “Know any card games?”


	8. The Cost of Attachment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Leo have a fun evening but the night still holds old hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my wonderful people in the coldflash discord for keeping me going with this (and to my lovely beta readers!) [haute_coldture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haute_coldture/pseuds/haute_coldture) and [Luna-Shimizu](https://luna-shimizu.tumblr.com/)  
> Check me out on [tumblr](http://kateera.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/kateera_)

They played cards until it was time to order dinner and Barry put away the deck with a sigh of relief. There were only so many games of Go Fish he could lose before he started to question his life choices.

“Remind me to teach you poker and then let you wreck Iris’ world,” Barry said with a mischievous grin.

Leo looked more relaxed in the house now that it was just the two of them and Barry marveled at how well, all things considered, the young boy was handling being in a different time with different people with superpowers.

_ Are all kids this resilient or is it just him? _

“Alright, what do you want on your pizza?” Barry asked as he pulled out his phone.

Leo bounced on the couch and grinned up at him. “Cheese!”

“Cheese? That’s it?”

Leo bounced again. “Cheese!”

Barry laughed, shaking his head at the excitement in Leo’s face. “Fine, one cheese pizza, coming up.”

Placing the order, one medium cheese for Leo and three large pepperoni and sausage pies for him, Barry put down the phone and picked up the remote. “It’s pizza and a movie and then bed, that work?”

Leo flopped down on the couch and looked up at Barry with his arms around Bandit. “Can we do ice cream too?”

Barry gasped and threw himself down on the couch cushion next to Leo. “How could I have forgotten ice cream? I’m the worst!” He gave Leo a grin. “Guess this means you get to pick the movie.”

Hearing Leo laugh was like a balm to Barry’s soul, even if it made his chest ache. The sound was open and innocent and full of all the things he’d missed out on during his actual childhood. Even if this wasn’t real, wasn’t changing anything about Snart’s past, it felt good to help him find a bit of happiness.

“Where are your movies?” Len asked, looking around the room.

“Oh, I don’t really own many,” Barry said with shrug. “We’ll just pick something on Netflix.”

Leo squinted his eyes in confusion and Barry pointed to the TV.

“See, watch.” Turning on the TV, Barry scrolled over to his account and opened up the menu. “You just use these buttons here to scroll through and see what you want to watch.”

Leo’s uncertainty lasted for a few seconds as he got a handle on how to pause and watch a little preview of some of the shows. He landed on a horror movie first but Barry vetoed that idea, pretty sure that six was too young to be watching something involving a bloody axe.

“Let’s go with something animated for your first movie in the twenty-first century,” Barry said with a smile, almost reaching out to ruffle Leo’s hair before he caught himself and instead poked Bandit in the stomach.

It took time, Leo carefully stopping on each selection to see the preview, but once the pizza arrived, he’d settled on a Dreamworks animated movie and Barry covered his mouth with a pillow to keep from bursting into uncontrollable laughter. 

_ Of course, he picks the supervillain movie. _

Barry quickly set them up with plates and napkins and glasses of water before settling back on the couch and hitting the play button.

The first voice over segment came on and caught Leo’s attention immediately. “Here's my day so far; went to jail, lost the girl of my dreams, and got my butt kicked pretty good. Still, things could be a lot worse. Oh, that's right... I'm falling to my death. Guess they can't. How'd it all come to this, you ask? My end starts at the beginning, the very beginning! Yes, that's me. I had a fairly standard childhood. I came from what you might call a broken home, literally broken. I was eight days old and still living with my parents. How sad is that?! Clearly it was time to move on.”

Barry looked over and Leo was staring at the screen, a piece of pizza halfway to his mouth as he watched Megamind begin his glorious rivalry with Metro Man.

“You gotta eat and watch at the same time or this doesn’t work,” Barry said with a soft chuckle.

Leo barely spared Barry a glance as he stuffed a bite into his mouth and kept watching the movie. Barry watched Leo almost more than the movie, his heart doing little jumps every time he laughed or gasped. When Roxanne walked away from her date with Megamind, the supervillain standing all alone in the rain, Leo clutched at Barry’s arm with a look of utter sadness.

“Why don’t I go grab our ice cream?” Barry asked, giving Leo’s arm a pat. “There’s a happy ending, I promise.”

Scooping up two bowls of cookie dough ice cream, Barry took his time and used the small moment to regain some equilibrium. He hated how something as small as a hand on his arm could throw him into doubt and fear about the future. Guilt quickly followed because while he was enjoying all these experiences with Leo, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering if Snart would enjoy Megamind as much as Leo did and if he even watched silly animated movies and it all came around to the fact that Barry missed Snart, even if he was technically in the other room.

“He’s fighting Titan!” Leo called from the living room and Barry shook away the depressing thoughts and returned to the couch.

“One bowl of ice cream,” he said as he handed it to Leo. “Really like this movie, huh?”

Leo nodded as he took a bite of ice cream. “So cool.”

Barry laughed. “Yeah, so cool.”

When the movie ended, Leo abandoned the couch to stand by the speakers and jump around, singing along with the credits song with a giant smile on his face. Barry resisted for two seconds before he stood up and danced as well and if his heart clenched in his chest when Leo grabbed his hands and yelled out, “I’m bad, I’m bad, come on, you know,” well, Barry figured he might have to get used to the feeling.

The song faded and Barry swung Leo around one last time before reaching for the remote and turning off the television. “Alright, time to get ready for bed.”

Leo pouted at that, swinging his arms back and forth. “We could dance more instead.”

Barry hummed and put his hands on his hips but a smile was already breaking out across his face. “One more song and then we have to brush our teeth and go to sleep. You want to see Caitlin and Cisco tomorrow, right?”

Leo clapped his hands and Barry turned the tv back on, this time choosing a streaming music site from his drop-down menu.

“Any requests?” At Leo’s confused shrug, Barry scrolled through some of the recent songs on the list and picked one with a good enough beat for a kid to dance to.

“Don’t tell Cisco, okay?”

Leo grinned in response and Barry hit play, the first notes of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” coming over the speakers. Barry sang along while Leo mostly jump-danced, even grabbing Bandit off the couch to throw him in the air to the music. It was a silly kind of fun and Barry couldn’t remember the last time he’d just danced because he could. Watching Leo spin in circles, a giant smile on his face, Barry wondered if Snart ever did silly or fun things when no one was watching.

_ Stop it. You have to stop thinking like this. _

The last line of “same DNA but born this way” faded away and Leo collapsed onto the floor in a heap of limbs and giggles.

“Alright giggle monster,” Barry said with a small smile. “Time to brush those teeth.”

Leo rolled onto his stomach and pushed back into a standing position, breathless from his enthusiastic flailing. “I like that song.”

“Me too,” Barry answered with a grin. “But don’t tell anyone.”

Leo put his hand over his mouth and gave a firm nod before he scrambled for the stairs, taking some of the steps with jumps and actually acting like a little kid should. Barry cleaned up the dinner mess and turned down all the lights, his head spinning with ideas of what to do tomorrow. While he knew they needed to focus on fixing Snart, a part of him wanted to keep giving Leo as much of a childhood as possible.

_ We could hit up the park or go see the aquarium, let his little mind explode with all the changes. _

Barry chuckled at the image of Leo staring in shock at the giant tanks filled with sharks and jellyfish and sea otters. He rushed through his own bedtime rituals, slipping into a pair of soft pajama bottoms and his old high school science club t-shirt before checking on Leo. The bedroom light was still on and he could hear the bed creaking as Leo moved around so Barry entered the room, giving Leo a smile when he saw him tucked beneath the blanket.

“All set?” He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the blankets up over Leo’s shoulders. “I’m right down the hall if you need me.”

“Okay. Night, Barry,” Leo said, wiggling down into the blankets and closing his eyes.

“Night, Leo.” He had the strange urge to run his hands through Leo’s hair, but instead gave the blankets a final pat and left the room, turning off the light and leaving the door partially open.

Crawling into his own bed, Barry thought he would have a hard time falling asleep, the day’s events still weighing on his mind, but exhaustion hit as he closed his eyes and between one thought and the next, he slept.

The sound of crying woke him up and Barry frowned in sleep-addled confusion before realizing that it was coming from Iris’ old room. He sped through the house and found Leo huddled around a pillow, the blanket twisting as he thrashed in the middle of the bed.

“No, please,” Leo whimpered against the pillow. “I can’t do it. Please don’t make me.”

Pain flared in Barry’s chest as he carefully laid a hand on Leo’s shoulder, ignoring the way he flinched away from his touch and giving him a gentle shake. “Leo, wake up. It’s a nightmare. You’re safe.”

Leo’s eyes snapped open and he stared at Barry for a moment with complete fear written on his face. Barry watched the nightmare recede as Leo recognized his surroundings and he barely had time to brace himself before Leo threw himself into Barry’s arms.

Keeping a tight grip on Leo, he wrapped the blanket around them both and held him tight. “You’re safe. You’re safe.”

He rubbed Leo’s back as the shaking slowly subsided and the soft sniffing against his shirt turned into deep breaths. Looking down at Leo curled in a ball on his lap, Barry tightened his hold and laid his head against Leo’s, focusing all his energy on comfort because if he thought about the kind of nightmares the kid might be having, he didn’t know if he could hold back his rage.

_ Traveling back and beating the shit out of Lewis Snart would not help, damn it. _

“I’m sorry,” Leo whispered into Barry’s shirt.

“Nope, I did not hear that,” Barry said, keeping his voice low and gentle. “You did nothing wrong.”

When he didn’t get a response, Barry lifted his head to look down at Leo. “Did you want to talk about it? Sometimes that helps when I get nightmares.”

Leo shrugged and pulled at the edge of the blanket. “There were too many locks. I couldn’t get them all open.” He looked up at Barry. “I wasn’t fast enough.”

_ Of course. _

Feeling his chest ache and his throat catch at the pain in Leo’s voice, Barry tightened his hold and took a deep breath. “It was just a dream, alright?” He gave a soft laugh and bumped his head against Leo’s forehead. “I’ll be the fast one and you be the smart one, how does that sound?”

Leo let out a small huff and shook his head against Barry’s chest. “I’m not smart.”

_ I will not time travel. I will not time travel just to kick someone’s ass. _

“I think you’re very smart,” Barry said with fierce conviction. “I’ll bet people are scared of how smart you are.”

Leo turned his face up, looking confused and lost, and Barry smiled. “You’re smart and I’m fast, just facts, I promise.”

“Just facts,” Leo repeated with a small smile.

Barry felt some of the tension go out of Leo’s body and slowly released his hold on him. “Think you can get some more sleep now?”

Nodding in response, Leo crawled out of his lap and back into the bed, grabbing Bandit who was hanging halfway off the mattress and tucking him back beside him under the covers. Barry readjusted the duvet so that it was once again tucked up to Leo’s chin and gave him a soft pat on the shoulder.

“Get some sleep and tomorrow we’ll figure out something fun to do, alright?”

“Alright,” Leo said through a yawn. “Night.”

“Good night.”

Barry walked back to his room, his heart still beating with hopeless anger at Leo’s fear and his own helplessness. It was well after midnight but when he sat on the bed, Barry picked up his phone and sent a late text to Joe.

Barry: **If I don’t say it enough, thank you for being awesome at being a dad.**

As he rubbed a hand over his face and hair, doing his best to calm the fizz of frustration in his mind, his phone buzzed.

Joe:  **Well, you’re welcome. What’s going on?**

Barry:  **Leo had a nightmare. About Lewis.**

Joe:  **That’s rough. How are you holding up with all this?**

Barry:  **Wishing I could take a little trip to the 1970’s.**

In the back of his mind, he knew that wouldn’t be a solution, that time travel fucked up everything (even The Legends had their fare of stories about time getting screwed) but he felt the urge all the same.

Joe:  **Don’t think like that. You’re doing what you can.**

Barry: **I know. Thanks.**

Joe:  **Anytime. Get some sleep.**

Barry:  **Night.**

Putting his phone back on the nightstand, Barry slipped back under the covers and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t change anything, just be there for Leo now and it had to be enough, at least until they could bring back Snart.

_ I hope Cisco and Caitlin can figure out a way to bring you back. I want the chance to be friends. _


End file.
